Print

Email story

Comment

Letter to the editor

This designer show house is a scene stealer

A water view can upstage any interior decor, but smart designers use that to their advantage.

By Judy Stark, Homes and Garden Editor
Published March 8, 2008

[James Borchuck | Times] The Pier is visible through the windows of the 21st-floor condo at 400 Beach Drive NE. Not wanting to detract from the view, designer Jean Losier of Robb & Stucky kept the furniture low and used no window treatments.

ADVERTISEMENT [James Borchuck | Times] Walls painted and glazed in Spa Blue set a soothing tone in a 26th-floor bedroom, where the views to the west -- of the Don CeSar and the Gulf of Mexico -- are screened by iridescent sheer panels. Metallic elements -- in the picture frame, an undraped canopy bed, a wall sculpture -- contrast with soft bedding, tasseled pillows and framed images from nature. Designer: Designs of the Interior, Tampa. [James Borchuck | Times] In a room set up for chess and cigars, that's no brick wall; it was faux painted by Fred Kors of Surfisiz Design in Sarasota. Tones of bronze, ochre and gold; brown leather chairs with nailhead trim; and copper-glazed embossed ceiling tiles play off the blues and greens in the view, overlooking the downtown waterfront. Designer: Decker Ross Interiors, Clearwater.

If you go

What: Designer show house, sponsored by the Florida Orchestra Guild/St. Petersburg.

Where: Two luxury condo units, on the 21st and 26th floors, at 400 Beach Drive NE, St. Petersburg. Enter through the lobby at Fifth Avenue NE and Bay Street, one block west of Beach.

When: Today through March 30. Hours: 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets: $20 at the door.

Parking: On the street. Note the 90-minute time limit on surrounding streets. No parking in the 400 Beach Drive garage.

Information: (727) 710-4900.

 ---

ST. PETERSBURG - With all due apologies to the interior designers, no one cares what the rooms look like at the Florida Orchestra Guild designer show house that opens this morning at 400 Beach Drive NE. 

All anyone will be looking at is the view. And a spectacular view it is from the units on the 26th and 21st floors of this downtown luxury condo tower.

From the living and dining areas it's a sweeping view of Tampa Bay, from the Tampa skyline across the bay to the Vinoy to the Pier, the marinas, Albert Whitted Airport, south to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and beyond. From the west, the view continues to the Don CeSar Beach Resort & Spa in St. Pete Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.

But if you can tear your eyes away from the view, there's plenty to look at inside. The 26th-floor unit - 4,300 square feet, priced at $2.475-million - has been furnished and decorated in a traditional style. The 21st-floor unit - 3,295 square feet, priced at $1.79-million - is done in a contemporary style.

The designers have done a good job of staying out of the way of that spectacular view. "The view is like a great painting," said Jean Losier of Robb & Stucky, the lead designer: It is the focal point. She painted the walls of the 26th-floor living-dining area a soft blond that doesn't compete with the view but invites the outdoor light in. The silk window treatments are "the color of an old penny," she said, a deep copper, that frame the windows simply "but don't obstruct the view." A rich curved brown leather sofa has been positioned to catch the views.

On the 21st floor, she kept the furniture height "as low as possible so as not to impact the view." The leather sectional is low-slung, there are no window treatments, and the walls are painted a crisp celery green that is "very bright and fresh," Losier said. An area rug reflects the dark colors of the adjacent high-gloss zebrawood dining table and console.

Throughout the two units, designers have used restful, soft colors, but amped them up with metallic finishes or glazing or subtle striping. They've contrasted angular metals with soft materials. A guest room on the 26th floor by Designs of the Interior is painted a glazed shade called Spa Blue and its windows draped in iridescent sheers. On the 21st floor, in a tiny bedroom by MJ Designs and Doma Home Furnishings, a forest of bamboo stands in as a headboard.

So do notice the designers' work. And when you look at the view, thank our forebears and city leaders of generations gone by who had the wisdom and vision to allow no one to block off the waterfront with a condo canyon. These high-rise units reveal a spectacular signature view that any other city would envy.

Judy Stark can be reached at jstark@sptimes.com or 727 893-8446.

[Last modified March 7, 2008, 12:30:05]